Uncharted 4: A Thief's End revealed at Sony's E3 conference

Nathan Drake has had better days -- at least judging from the
reveal of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End at Sony's E3
conference.

That's not to say the game looks bad at all. On the contrary,
Naughty Dog's return to the world of globe-trotting treasure hunter
Drake reveals a world even more lush, detailed, and dangerous than
players have ever seen before. Rather, it's Nathan himself who's
looking worse for wear, with the launch trailer seeing him wake up
face-down in the mud on a tropical island. Voiceover recollections
play out a conversation between Drake and long-time ally Sully,
with Drake begging to get "back in the game". It has all the
hallmarks of a junkie needing a fix -- hints that the game will be
exploring the ramifications of Drake's more destructive obsessions
over the course of the series? Sony also claims the stakes will be
higher and more personal for the character this time.

UnchartedPlayStation

Whatever the psychological fallout of the game, it looks
amazing. From the verdant forests with light piercing and
flickering through branches to the sinister detail of caged corpses
Drake staggers towards as the trailer ends, A Thief's End
is easily the best looking entry in the series. More impressive was
the fact that the footage wasn't pre-rendered but actually captured
from a PS4 unit. Drake himself appears to have had a bit of a
makeover though, looking thinner and less rugged than before.

The game was first teased in November 2013, though the title and
story hints, as well as a look at the in-game visuals are enough to
get series fans salivating. Amy Henning, creative director and
series writer of the existing Uncharted series, left
Naughty Dog in March this year. Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann,
directors of Naughty Dog's multi-award winning The Last of
Us, are now heading up A Thief's End. The difference
in style between creators is striking, and could lead to a very
different Uncharted experience when it's launched in
2015.